An Essential Guide to Psychics and Psychic Readings

In the Hollywood version, the enigmatic Psychic sporting a robe dotted with signs of the Zodiac waves her hands over a crystal ball and a moment later a mysterious wind blows through the room accompanied by spooky noises. The Psychic's voice drops an octave and someone's deceased Uncle Louie is issuing instructions for recovering the cash from a Swiss bank account. Dramatic indeed, but much of the public image of the Psychic is simply that: image built by non-Psychics and marketed to a gullible public.

If you are considering calling on a Psychic (also called "communicator", "medium", "intuitive" or "sensitive") because you hope to hear a winning lottery number or the point spread on next week's football game, you may be disappointed. Psychic work has its place and can be both fascinating and enlightening on many levels. But in order for the consumer to take full advantage of what Psychics have to offer, some basic rules must apply.

Curb your expectations

Psychics read energy, they do not control it. While some communicators - those that work with animals, for instance - are often able to affect the behavior of a living creature, none can change the future. Asking a Psychic to try and nudge your employer into giving you that big promotion or salary increase that you've wanted is pointless. Nor can they affect the outcomes of events that have not occurred.

What you can expect, however, is that your behavior may change as a result of whatever you learned through your Psychic contact. A change in your behavior today will ripple through future events and may well result in the changes you hoped would come. Don't credit - or blame - the Psychic for what happens in the future.

Psychics, Omniscients and Mind Readers

Again, Psychics read energy. They do not possess a godlike ability to see everything at once. All living beings give off energy, and a Psychic is able to pick up on that, whether in the form of the aura surrounding a person present in the room or images connected to objects and events that have happened in the past or may happen in the future. Most Psychics are sensitive to one or two types of energy and may not be able to pick up on the type you're asking to be read. A Psychic who is adept at reading auras may not be able to receive past energy from objects or interpret that hidden in photos.

The skeptic who throws out the old "If you're so psychic, why aren't you rich?" line is misinterpreting what a Psychic's capabilities are. No legitimate Psychic will claim to be able to see everything. One who does should make you want to set off running in the opposite direction on general principles.

If someone in everyday life were to make a claim about some ability they had it would be nonsensical to expect them to necessarily demonstrate it there and then or to expect them to be world champions at it. Putting the skeptic's challenge into everyday questions might sound like this in comparison:

If you can run, then why haven't you won a gold medal in athletics at the Olympic Games?

If you've got such good vision, then read that newspaper from a mile away.

If you've got such good hearing, then tell me what music is playing on my radio back at home.

If you've got such a good sense of temperature, then tell me the temperature in my office.

If you've got such good taste, then tell me what I ate for breakfast.

If you've such a great sense of smell, then tell me the brand of toothpaste I use.

Silly and nonsensical! These misconceptions show how ridiculous some of the questions to a Psychic are by comparison. They do nothing to foster a good use of a Psychic's powers. It is equally pointless to ask a Psychic to read your mind or tell you what someone in the room is thinking. A Psychic challenged in this way will sometimes, in self-defense, resort to "cold reading" - using cues in the environment to construct a likely scenario. This undermines the psychic process. The energy a Psychic senses and interprets is amorphous and complex. The information comes in waves that are often wildly disconnected requiring significant clarification on the part of the Psychic and the person accessing the Psychic's power.

Be aware of differences in types of Psychics and readings

Each Psychic has an area of specialty and specific ways of receiving information. Some are good at finding lost people or animals, for example. Others are good at tuning into the spirit world. My specialty, for instance, is predicting the future with regard to family, love, career and money.

Some Psychics can tell you what your boss really wants from you, how to motivate your staff, why your mother-in-law doesn't like you, or how to bestow more confidence in your teenage daughter. Yet that same Psychic could not help you locate your lost cat or tell why there is a strange noise emanating from the back of your car. But that doesn't mean that no Psychic can tell you these things. You must consult a different kind of Psychic depending on the kind of information you want.

Some Psychics hear spirits speaking to them. Or they receive symbolic, emotional or visual impressions from the Spirit world. We call Psychics who do this Mediums, Psychic Mediums or Spirit Mediums.

Other Psychics who bring information from the other world to this world are called "Channelers" or "Physical Mediums". These Psychics achieve a relaxed, semiconscious or unconscious trance state. This allows a spirit to channel its own voice through the Medium's body. Channelers may fall into a light trance in which they are fully aware of their surroundings and the information they receive or a full trance state during which they have no awareness or memory of the experience.

Few modern mediums perform Séances or use devices such as crystal balls or Ouija boards. Some do still follow these traditions, but most get messages through their minds. The most common physical device used is cards, either Tarot or regular playing cards. Some mediums are truly adept at the use of cards, so don't be put off by the process.

Each Psychic is different

You may have come across a Psychic who reads with their eyes closed. Other Psychics may keep them open. I know one who insists on chain smoking throughout a reading. Many of them will ask to hold a personal item belonging to the client. Some can read over the phone or via email. Others can't. In no way do these differences indicate a hierarchy of Psychic ability or different levels of honesty.

Police Psychics have recently become popular subjects for television and films, but all tend to be lumped into one category and seem to be portrayed in a similar way. Real-life police Psychics are as different from one another in their methods of receiving information and interpreting it as are the cases they work on. Their successes are documented and legendary.

Enter the process with a positive attitude

If you are going to spend the time, energy and money in hiring a Psychic, it makes sense to keep an open mind. Go into the reading with the mindset that you are about to hear valid and useful information that is open to interpretation. Ask questions, but don't make the setting feel like an interrogation. The Psychic needs to be relaxed and open in order to do their work effectively. Therefore, avoid creating negative energy that may well prove to be a self-fulfilling prophesy: the Psychic fails because you set them up for failure.

There are three types of difficult customers

There are those who come to a psychic reading to test them. They arrive armed with a poker-face and sit with their arms and legs crossed, not saying a word. It's very difficult for any Psychic to do a reading under these circumstances. This strategy usually backfires. These customers end up with poor quality readings.

There are those customers who are completely passive and who expect the Psychic to decide everything for them. They are basically saying "Just tell me what to do because I want you to take responsibility for my life". People have free-will, so they need to understand that their attitudes and choices make a big difference in the outcome of future events. Life is more than a predestined script.

Some clients never take action, even after gaining insight into their situations. They go from one Psychic to another and then do absolutely nothing with the information they've been given. They are likely to criticize and complain after the fact when their lives don't take a turn for the better.

How to prepare for a psychic reading

You can have an excellent, insightful, helpful and accurate psychic reading as long as you are prepared and open-minded. Here are some hints and tips that will help you.

1. Try to be realistic in your expectations. Before you visit the Psychic, decide what you'd like to get from the Psychic reading. Do you want information about relationships, career, finance or life's purpose?

2. Know what you want from the Psychic. Write it down. The act of writing down your questions will make your Psychic reading more accurate and efficient as it forces you to concentrate on the specific areas you wish to address.

3. Prioritize your questions. Most Psychics will begin with a general overview of your past, present and future. After the overview, if your questions have not been answered, then ask the most important questions first. That way, if you want more clarification or you run out of time, your most pressing issues will have been addressed.

4. When you ask a Psychic a question, please give them some detail to make your question clear and specific, but not too much detail. While most Psychics are not omniscient, they should be psychic enough to determine some of the details and background for themselves.

5. Don't expect the Psychic to solve your problems. Some problems just cannot be fixed. The Psychic might, however, be able to point you in a better direction so that you can fix the problems yourself.

6. Don't ask trivial questions. This is largely obvious as you will have gone to the time and trouble to find a Psychic and will be paying them for their skills. What is important is to ask questions which are important to you and which you care about. The Psychic will find it easier to tune into the emotional component at the root of the question and give you a more meaningful answer.

7. Finally, don't lie to a Psychic - most of the time they will know that you are not being straightforward with them. So if they ask you for you first name, date of birth, etc., then give them the correct answers. Don't think "If they're so psychic they should know". If you do lie, you could easily end up with an inaccurate reading.

Choose the right Psychic

The best way to choose a Psychic is to ask friends for the name of someone they've used and who they found to be accurate and useful. However, sometimes a Psychic is very accurate with your friends reading but not so accurate with yours. There are personality issues that can create a block between a Psychic and a client, so don't expect miracles just because a friend insists she experienced one.

Here are some questions you might consider asking the Psychic when making an appointment for a reading. There is no right or wrong answer. There are just different Psychics for different people.

Can you accurately predict the future

Do you believe in free-will?

How long have you been a Psychic reader?

Are you a full-time or a part-time Psychic reader?

What are your favorite areas on which to advise e.g. relationships, career, money, etc?

What psychic tools do you use e.g. Palmistry, Astrology, Tarot cards, Numerology, etc?

Do you allow your customers to bring questions? If so, how many can they bring?

What should I bring with me? For example, should I bring photographs of specific people or a piece of jewelry or other item?

May I take notes?

May I tape the reading?

May I bring a friend?

How much do you charge?

What sort of guarantee (if any) do you offer?

Watch for warning signs

Just like in every profession, there are dishonest people. There are some immoral Psychic readers. Avoid any Psychic that talks about lifting curses for a large amount of money. Above all else, trust your own intuition. If a Psychic doesn't seem right to you, or what they are telling you seem completely wrong, then don't make the appointment. Stay away from any Psychic who promises to fix all your problems with one quick and easy reading.

Definitely return to a Psychic whose predictions come true! That, after all, is the ultimate test.